DC Comics 2018
Written by Robert Venditti
Illustrated by Tony S. Daniel
Inked by Danny Miki
Coloured by Tomeu Morey
Lettered by Tom Napolitano
Ethan “Elvis” Avery just wanted to serve his country. Instead, he’s been changed into a monster! Tasked as the government’s own living, breathing, ticking time bomb, Ethan retains no control when the monster takes over. Cheaper than a nuclear warhead and twice as effective, Ethan fights to rein in the damage he unleashes when the beast inside him springs free for one hour a day. With everyone around him in danger, Ethan struggles to contain the DAMAGE he inflicts on the DC Universe.
Here’s my problem right off the bat, Damage is Grant Emerson and if you were going to redesign him that would one thing but this this isn’t Damage. You took the name of a character and you recycled it into something else and that automatically is all three strikes against this series. Then adding insult to injury it’s not even the Shaggy Man’s reboot into General Eiling which in this situation would have made a lot more sense.
The concept here seems to be a military made weapon gone rogue. Ethan changes from human to Damage when he’s angry, hmm seriously sigh nope not buying that one. Ethan’s voice can be “heard” in Damage’s head when he’s rampaging through town. I get that sometimes it’s hard to come up with a new character but to make a second rate Hulk with the name of a hero who had so much potential. I’m not sure if I’d be as upset by this if I were a brand new reader but even then everyone knows the Hulk and this ain’t him.
I’m a little disappointed in the cliché with already seeing another soldier who is angry and has jealousy issues that will eventually get amped on his own and become his arch-nemesis. Also not a fan of the Suicide Squad already appearing. You’ve yet to establish this character and already they are “guest starring” in this book. It feels like DC is pushing this too hard to be something it’s not. I want this to be the Shaggy Man and not Damage and that is reaffirmed every time we see Damage’s face because it has that simian look.
I do love the artwork here. The interiors are stellar and the attention to detail is amazing to see. The use of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off his masterful eye for storytelling. Also seeing the backgrounds and such in use only reaffirms why he’s one of today’s sought after artists. I will say though that this Colonel Ma’am looks a lot like a Sir to me seriously that’s a man not a woman on the page unless there’s an explanation we aren’t seeing.
Marie, the Colonel, has an eyepatch and she’s hunting Damage whom she created and then lost control of. He looks like Fury in that regard and acts like General Ross and the comparisons continue because we’re comic book fans and it's blatantly obvious. As much as I want to say good things here I can’t because the writing feels forced like the idea was given to him and told what to do and it doesn’t have the fire or passion that you would normally feel. I know Robert’s writing and I know how good he is and what kind of potential he can unleash when free to do so. This isn’t that and doesn’t come close.
Then the page with Task Force XL I mean okay though why Harley is there is beyond me other than she’s everywhere and become too saturated.
Seriously beautiful artwork though and the last page sums it up completely. I would love to own that page because it’s totally up my alley yes but the attention to detail and the colouring yeah this is why Tony is amazing!